Controversial teacher’s manual sparks call for NaCCA review
The recent controversy surrounding a teacher’s manual has prompted calls for a thorough review of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment’s (NaCCA) internal mechanisms.
The Senior High School Physical Education and Health teacher’s manual contained inappropriate content regarding the section that defined gender identity which sparked public outcry, leading to NaCCA recalling hard copies of the manual and apologising for the incident.
Dr Ernest Sanyare Warmann Beinpuo, Radiation Protection Expert and Academic, in an interview with Ghana News Agency argued that the withdrawal of the controversial definition raised serious institutional questions, believing that it could not have been a minor typographical error.
He said: “It is a substantive conceptual definition with social, legal, cultural, and policy implications. Such content does not slip through by accident. It passes through drafting teams, technical reviewers, subject panels, validation workshops, and approval committees before printing and nationwide distribution…
“The key question is simple. At what stage did professional scrutiny fail? And who is accountable for that failure?”
Dr Beinpuo observed that if the definition contradicted Ghana’s constitutional values, education policy, or public consensus, then the failure was not merely editorial but pointed to a breakdown in quality assurance, oversight, and accountability within the curriculum development process hence the need for review at NaCCA.
He concluded: “Curriculum development is a national trust. It requires technical competence, cultural awareness, and policy coherence. When that trust is shaken, explanations and corrective measures must go beyond recalling books. They must include transparency, responsibility, and institutional reform.
This episode should prompt a sober review of internal review mechanisms at NaCCA, not just damage control.”
Source: GNA